Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Carmageddon: 405 Freeway in Los Angeles closing down for road improvements July 15 to 18

The mid-summer traffic hell is expected by people from Los Angeles, California as a 10-mile section of the San Diego Freeway or I-405 will be closed to give way to road improvements. Most people expect the alternate routes to be a gridlock and most count this “carmageddon” a good reason to stay home over the weekend.The affected segment of the freeway is considered to be the busiest road in the United States with vehicles of as much as 330,000 going thru Sepulveda Pass everyday. The 10-mile stretched will be closed to all traffics for 53 hours or from the night of July 15 to five in the morning of July 18.An HOV lane will be added to the I-405 and improve ramps, walls, and bridges along that section. There will also be widening of the lanes along the Ventura Freeway and Santa Monica Freeway. The said improvements are expected to help with the congestion in the area as well as enhance the safety of the freeway.If you are from the area, here are some of the roads that you need to avoid:Canyon Roads The roads here are mostly two lanes heading north-south linking the western portion of the Los Angeles County and the San Fernando Valley. These roads that passes through the good communities like Bel-Air can even bog down during usual weekend traffic. The hotspots include roads like the Sepulveda Boulevard, Coldwater Canyon Dr., Benedict Canyon Dr., Laurel Canyon Blvd., Cahuenga Blvd., and Beveryly Glen Blvd. Although there have been appeals to stay away from these area, locals are still caught in a traffic nightmare.

Coastal Routes

The Pacific Coast Highway is really a busy road every summer with tourists and beachgoers flocking to the Malibu area. Authorities fear that those who will divert from the closure and head west might overload the stretch of the scenic highway.

The Topanga Canyon Blvd. has been made an alternate route but officials are asking everyone to veer away from the narrow roads connecting the Pacific Coast to the Ventura Freeway.

Freeway backups

Santa Monica is also preparing for the traffic nightmare and the heavy volume of motorists avoiding the closed section of the freeway. The 4th and 5th Streets plus the Cloverfield Boulevard will most likely among the busiest in the area. The Harbor Freeway which is about 12 miles from the I-405 is expected to be a mess too. Add to this the expected hoards that will watch the LA Galaxy and Real Madrid soccer game to be held at the Los Angeles Coliseum just by the freeway.